2nd Annual Rockland Fashion Week Draws 300 To Kick-Off Event

WEST NYACK, NY — The second annual Rockland Fashion Week kicked off Saturday after a gap year due to the pandemic.

"I had this idea written out and incubated for 4 years before I made a step of faith," the organizer, designer Hope Wade, told Patch. "I had done Caribbean Fashion Week four times, NYFW and London Fashion Week once. I saw what it took and wondered why couldn’t Rockland, that has such a diversified community, have a fashion week? We’re only 30 minutes from the city and we have a lot of celebrities and very talented people here and I thought 'we have everything here in Rockland, now is the time.' So I pulled it together in 5 weeks in December 2019 and it was successful."

This year's kick-off event at the Palisades Center drew an enthusiastic crowd of more than 300 guests.

The main runway event showcased the work of 14 designers including four from Rockland, plus lead makeup artist Litha Vazquez from Project Runway, JayLee and Sephora for makeup products, and more than 40 models including the Faces of Beauty Model Team.

Among the local designers who were highlighted were Lorraine Freeman of Customly Yours in New City and Ke Tiffany of Kurvacious Boutique. AnnMarie Kelly- Jameson of Elite Repeat and Sandra Szpicek Leylegian of Things I Love returned their wares to the catwalk.

In addition to Rockland-based businesses, participating artists brought their skills and wares from neighboring Westchester, as well as New Jersey and Connecticut. Live music was provided by crooner Mark Wade, Dance Hall Pastor Stephen Blake who hails from Jamaica, and a guest artist from VP Records.

Also at the event, Rockland County legislator Toney Earl presented Wade with a Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor bestowed on citizens for their service to the county. State Assemblyman Mike Lawler delivered a proclamation congratulating Wade on the success of Fashion Week and recognizing its positive impact on Rockland County.

Part of the proceeds generated by the runway show were donated to People to People, an organization which for decades has been helping the community's most vulnerable citizens meet their basic needs. Lourdes Pring, People to People Board member, accepted the donation check from Wade.

Beyond the launch event, Rockland Fashion Week has been featuring discussions about the fashion business in local schools, and pop-up shops in Nyack at Hope Wade Designs at 23 North Broadway and the Maria Luisa boutique at 77 South Broadway, as well as at A Time To Clothes in the Mall.

This event is larger, in a bigger space, more costs than the inaugural Rockland Fashion Week in 2019, Wade said.

She told Patch she knew she was nuts to do Rockland Fashion Week again while the pandemic lingers, but that didn't matter.

"I’m crazy because there was COVID and so many parts and it’s not easy but there is a drive in me that will not let me rest until it happens," Wade said. "I wanted it to be an annual event, a mainstay of Rockland. Like when you visit over the bridge you should query about RFW. My vision is that it will eventually open doors for designers and permanently employ people."

Fashion industry artists participating in Rockland Fashion Week 2021 include:

• Fredlyne Burns – Le Painture
• Lorraine Freeman – Customly Yours*
• Health Jox
• Glow Art
• Cor Du Roi
• LaTeffaney – Kurvacious*
• DR Rashad
• VH Hanley
• Time To Clothes*
• Sandra Szpicek Leylegian-The Things I Love*
• Annmarie Jameson- Elite Repeat*
• VP Records
• Fly Teas
• Hope Wade Designs*

*From Rockland County

Wade has been making a name for herself globally. She designed the gold sequined gown worn by Miss Jamaica at the 2018 Miss World Pageant in China and Rock 'n Roll Hall of Famer Darlene Love (a Rockland resident) wore Wade's red flute gown on the David Letterman Show.

She opened Hope Wade Designs of Nyack in September of 2020 while the pandemic was still raging. Since then, she has been creating couture dresses and gowns for women and children. She selects materials, designs, sketches and sews every garment she sells.

Wade was recently elected president of the Jamaican Civic & Cultural Association of Rockland.

Why Nyack, and why Rockland as the place to pursue her dreams? Wade's answer: "Nyack reminds me of Port Royal in Kingston, Jamaica where I grew up. Nyack is a town with special charm. The riverfront – and the people – are beautiful."

And she has more dreams.

"I want to build a factory so that designers, especially those of color, have a facility to manufacture their clothing," she said. "I would love to give a scholarship annually to an emerging designer – with no age limit. It would also be fun to create a fashion talk show and a shopping network.

"I want women, men, children to realize that for every dream to come to fruition it takes hard work but when one person plants a tree we all can eat of the fruit if we water it," she said. "I want that designer that is just about to give up on their dreams, be motivated to start again or push on for another day. That father who had plans and left them behind to take care of his family, realize that it’s not too late. Young children to know that life can be beautiful with some hard work."